Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted on Monday about the need for more bail reform in the aftermath of the Waukesha Christmas parade attack which was carried out by a suspect who was out on bail for serious pending charges.
"Today, we sent a letter w/@RepMaloney & @RepRaskin to NYC's 5 District Attorneys requesting information on excessive bail in the NYC court system. When prosecutors seek excessive cash bail, it results in increased rates of incarceration — particularly for low-income defendants," said Ocasio-Cortez.
More than 75% of individuals in custody haven't been convicted of a crime, and are confined in unsafe conditions simply because they cannot afford cash bail. Condemning thousands of individuals to languish in such environments as they await trial is unacceptable.
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) November 22, 2021
Ocasio-Cortez, who had tweeted about the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, has yet to tweet about the Waukesha attack.
Darrell Brooks, the suspect in the SUV attack on the parade, was a felon with a criminal history spanning three states. At the time of the attack, Brooks was out on a $1,000 cash bail that Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has since admitted was "inappropriately low."
BREAKING: The Milwaukee Co. District Attorney says Waukesha suspect Darrell Brooks should not have been released on such a low cash bond earlier this month. They are conducting an internal review.#Waukesha #waukeshaChristmasParade pic.twitter.com/GmUNOkwLpg
— Kristen Barbaresi (@KristenBarbar) November 22, 2021
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Brooks "has been charged three times in less than two years with recklessly endangering the safety of others, most recently on Nov. 5 as part of a domestic abuse incident for which he was also charged with resisting or obstructing an officer." In the most recent criminal case, Brooks is accused of intentionally running over a woman in a gas station parking lot.
Brooks was officially charged with five counts of intentional homicide on Tuesday, though prosecutors said they will be filing additional charges since a sixth person, a child, had died from being hit by the SUV. His bail was set at $5 million.